Weaver joins Hair Tech StudiosHalley Weaver has recently joined Hair Tech Studios. Weaver, formerly employed by A New Image, is a stylist and specializes in perms and color and haircuts for men, women and children.

Dallas Wind Symphony could come to RussellvilleIn July 2016, a major concert could be coming to the Russellville Center for the Arts. Funding is the only obstacle standing in the way of the Dallas Wind Symphony (known as America’s Premier Windband) performing on July 30, 2016, in Russellville. The group will be the featured performance of the 2016 Arkansas Bandmasters Convention on July 29, in Fort Smith, and local band director and president of the organization Jeff Kee said the group wou...

LaGrone elected PCCF presidentPope County Community Foundation, an affiliate of Arkansas Community Foundation, has announced the election of Betty LaGrone as 2015-16 president of the board of directors. LaGrone is a founding member of Community Foundation’s Pope County affiliate, serving several years as Executive Director and then continuing as a member of the Board of Directors. “The thing that had the most impact on my decision to become involved in the establishment of...

by
FOR THE COURIER / SubmittedThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Refueling outage begins at ANOControl room operators removed Entergy’s Arkansas Nuclear One Unit 2 from service on Sunday to begin a refueling outage. The outage comes after 465 days of safe operation and is expected to bring more than 1,100 additional workers to the Arkansas River Valley. ANO will invest more than $62.7 million to complete the refueling and other maintenance projects for Unit 2. The investment translates into improvements in margins of safety, reliability...

Community photo: Southwestern Energy donates to 4-HSouthwestern Energy recently presented the Pope County Cooperative Extension Service a $2,500 donation to the 4-H program, and a $1,000 donation for the Pope County County Fair Junior Livestock Auction. Pictured are Lauren Cannon, Pope County Extension agent-4-H; Robbie Rye, Pope County 4-H program assistant, and David Evans, Southwestern Energy regulatory & community relations director.

City Corp. touts $13.2 million upgradesMembers of City Corp., its board of directors and engineers cut the red ribbon on $13.2 million in improvements to the utility’s wastewater treatment plant before its regular meeting Tuesday. In November 2009, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a consent administrative order (CAO) through the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) for chronic violations related to wastewater overflows and failure to meet recently add...

Tractor Supply Co. to host pet activitiesThe Tractor Supply Co. store in Russellville will host activities for families and their pets, including pet adoptions from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday as part of Pet Appreciation Week. Held Sept. 16 - 20, Pet Appreciation Week or P.A.W. is Tractor Supply’s annual event to celebrate pet owners and their furry friends. “There’s a vast number of healthy dogs and cats just waiting to be adopted, and Pet Appreciation Week is our chance to help t...

Closing date nearing for crop insurance programsJACKSON, Miss.— The USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) reminds Arkansas producers that the final day to purchase federal crop insurance for oats and wheat is September 30, 2015. The sales closing date is the last day for producers to purchase or make important changes to their coverage. Current policyholders and uninsured growers who wish to buy a policy for the 2016 crop year must make all decisions on crop insurance coverage by the sales cl...

Full-time state employee numbers growLITTLE ROCK — Full-time state employees saw a slight increase in their ranks during the past fiscal year, and personnel executives said Arkansas and other states can fill positions because of overall improvements to the national economy and continued demand for workers in prisons and human services departments. A report by state budget administrator Duncan Baird showed the state’s payroll increased by 60 to 56,933 full-time employees between J...

Nonprofit that mapped Internet speeds in Arkansas shut downLITTLE ROCK — Some groups say they’re worried that the shutdown of a nonprofit that mapped Internet speeds around Arkansas will leave states without updated information needed to coordinate broadband expansion. The Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports the nonprofit shut down earlier this year when federal money ran out. Similar to initiatives across the country, Connect Arkansas’ money mostly came from the American Recovery and Reinvest...

Police union, city of Little Rock to negotiate fitness testsLITLLE ROCK — The city of Little Rock and its police union are expected to begin negotiations next month to determine whether officers will have to pass a fitness test. Little Rock Police Chief Kenton Buckner sent a directive in May that would have required all sworn officers to pass a fitness test after a maximum of three attempts. Those who couldn't pass the test would have been relieved of duty, the memo said. Fraternal Order of Police Pres...

Arvest effort targets hungerCustomers and Communities Work to Provide One Million Meals Arvest Bank’s 1 Million Meals initiative challenges bank associates, customers and community members to participate in fundraising efforts and nonperishable food drives to fight hunger in the more than 120 communities the bank serves. The initiative is needed, as 49 million individuals, including 16 million children, are identified as food insecure. Arvest Bank has kicked off the two-...

Saint Mary’s seeks more volunteersThe need for volunteers continues to grow as Saint Mary’s Regional Medical Center continues to add physicians and specialties, acquire new technologies and expand service line offerings. Volunteers have a variety of duties throughout the hospital. They often deliver flowers to patients, answer phones, escort families and visitors to patient rooms, as well as carry paper work and labs to and from various departments. “Saint Mary’s volunteers ar...

Ed Seay steps down from Help NetworkEd Seay, Executive Director of Help Network since 2009, announced his resignation effective Oct. 2. Amanda Chronister will take his place as the organization’s top executive. The Help Network Board of Directors met Wednesday to consider a new executive director. Shannon Crews, president of the board of directors, previously appointed Trey Smith, Lorrie Miller and Richard Downes to interview, screen and recommend a candidate to the board, per H...

Local hatchery receives awardTen Wayne Farms’ facilities, including one local facility, were recently honored by the Joint Industry Safety and Health Council for outstanding safety performance by implementing innovative and effective safety and health programs at the 2015 National Safety Conference for the Poultry Industry in Myrtle Beach, S.C. The award levels are based on an evaluation of each eligible facility’s actual safety performance as well as a written evaluation...

Cricket Wireless ribbon cuttingCricket Wireless celebrated its new membership in the Russellville Area Chamber of Commerce with a ribbon cutting. It is located at 2125 East Parkway Drive and can be reached at 479-219-5027.

Aquatic center costs discussedRussellville’s Finance Committee discussed the proposed aquatic center during its regular meeting Tuesday and the fact that the project’s “bottom line” may have to be raised because of higher construction costs. After its most recent meeting, the Aquatic Center Committee reviewed plans after 70 percent complete and learned the first construction estimate was $7.7 million, $2.2 million higher than the initial construction cost of $5.5 million, ...